The Rio Grande and its fertile valley runs from north-to-south, creating a riparian climate through the center of the state that supports a bosque habitat and distinct Albuquerque Basin climate. Its climate and geography are highly varied, ranging from forested mountains to sparse deserts the northern and eastern regions exhibit a colder alpine climate, while the west and south are warmer and more arid. New Mexico is the fifth largest by area of the fifty states, but with just over 2.1 million residents, ranks 36th in population and 46th in population density. New Mexico's largest city is Albuquerque, and its state capital is Santa Fe, the oldest state capital in the U.S., founded in 1610 as the government seat of Nuevo México in New Spain. with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, and bordering Texas to the east and southeast, Oklahoma to the northeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora to the south. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region of the western U.S. New Mexico ( Spanish: Nuevo México ⓘ Navajo: Yootó Hahoodzo Navajo pronunciation: ) is a state in the Southwestern United States.
